


Horrors and Heroes

by DireShire



Category: Armello (Video Game)
Genre: Drabble, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Minor Character Death, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-11-01 09:55:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17865131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DireShire/pseuds/DireShire
Summary: Fanfiction rewrite of the official trailer "Horrors and Heroes" from Armello.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-bg0YqwfE0





	1. The King

The sword’s tip slammed against the ground, chipping the stone floor. His breathes came out in ragged gasps, mouth ajar slightly as he stared at the ground. His grip on the sword tightened as he drove the steel further against the floor, fury swimming through his blood like the Rot itself.

 

His eyes narrowed. Damn those foolish heroes. Damn Armello! This was  _ his _ throne,  _ his _ crown,  _ his _ kingdom-

 

The lion erupted into a violent fit of hacking and coughing. Saliva spilled from between his fangs, thick and gooey, clinging to his furry chin. He shuddered as he watched the golden fur on his arm faded, hardening and blackening. He still clung to the sword, silent, save for his rasping breath, as the corruption slithered through his veins.

 

His vision blurred in and out of focus. Phlegm collected in his throat. He was rasping, gasping for breath, but he could only hear the blood pounding in his ears.

 

A snarl crept upon his face. A growl rumbled from his chest before he stumbled up, off his throne. Raising his chin to the sky, Tau roared, his cry echoing through the darkened halls of his throneroom. He could hear the startled chatter of birds fluttering outside, fleeing the sudden outcry of rage. The birds were cowards. They were cowards, just like the rest of this damned kingdom.

 

If this is how the clans of Armello repaid him for unity, he will destroy the gift he gave them himself. No hero will break the King of Armello.


	2. The Choice

Blood dripped from his shoulder as he dragged his exhausted body towards the glowing pillars of stone. Thane looked up, sighing in relief at the Stone Circle ahead. He knew the Rot was festering within his wound, and the Wyld would punish him for it, but he needed to rest.

 

As he approached the Stone Circle, a raven cried from above, somewhere in the treetops. The moon’s silver light fell through the branches and laid across the Stone Circle, illuminating the stone pillars. Thane winced at the bright light, raising a paw to shade his amber eyes from the intense glow. He’d been to Stone Circles many a time before, but never had the moon shone so brightly…

 

Before Thane could step into the Stone Circle, three figures reared their heads from the darkness beyond the pillars. They slowly crept out from the shadows, the moonlight revealing their white robes and masked faces. Thane blinked, unnerved by the skulls that hid the figure’s faces, until his eyes widened, and he slowly lowered his paw…

 

They were murmuring. The middle figure held forth their arms, holding a dagger in one hand, and the corpse of a raven in the other. Thane opened his mouth to speak, but was shocked into silence. His maw hung agape as he stared at the Druids standing before him.

 

“Stone?” They asked. “Salvation?” They asked. “Scythe?”

 

Thane whispered beneath his breath. “What…?”

 

“Stone? Salvation? Scythe?” They repeated.

 

The wolf prince stared, before shaking his head, and making a choice.


	3. The Bribe

The fire danced upon the guard’s golden armor. Mercurio took a deep breath, trying not to gag at the thick veil of smoke that rose from the burning village. The guard turned, and Mercurio looked up at the empty eyes that peered from beneath the helmet.

 

The rat flicked his ear. He ducked a paw behind him and beneath his cloak, fingers curling around the small sack of gold. Pulling it out from his cloak, Mercurio looked down at the bag, his fingers twitching against the leather. He furrowed his brows for a moment, tossing the sack in his paw mindlessly as he thought.

 

The guard gave an impatient snort. Mercurio’s gaze snapped up to meet the guard’s, and he huffed, tentatively reaching out. The guard held forward an armored paw, and Mercurio dropped the payment into the guard’s open paw.

 

The guard turned back to the burning village. Mercurio stood for a moment, sighing, watching the flames climb into the darkening sky.

 

Finally, he turned, snout lowered as he stared at the ground. Taking one final glance at the ruins of the town, Mercurio began to walk back towards the forest. The guard watched him go, before directing their attention back to the village.

 

Mercurio shook his head as he left. No time to dwell. There was work to be done.


	4. The Bandit

Amber’s eyes were bright, a confident smirk upon her face. Guppy trailed behind her, eyes darting around the temple in paranoia. With a paw upon her parasol’s handle and her other grasping the lid of the chest, she lifted the ancient box open.

 

The sunlight beamed through the temple, illuminating the gold and jewels within. Amber reached into the chest, ears twitching with excitement, when a gurgled cry for help sounded behind her.

 

She turned, her face falling as she saw the bandit’s dagger pressed against Guppy’s throat. He was grinning, his one eye gleaming while the other was hidden beneath an eyepatch. Two other thieves stood beside him, arms crossed with smug smiles and mocking glances.

 

“Amber the Far-Seeker.” The bandit said. As Amber opened her mouth to respond, she watched the steel drag across her companion’s neck. A strangled gasp came from him, before the Bandit released him. He stumbled and collapsed to the floor as blood splattered against the temple’s floor.

 

“For a member of the Rabbit Clan, you’re quite sore at sensing predators.” The bandit guffawed, snarling out the word _predator_. “I thought the most skilled tomb-raider in all of Armello would be able to cover her tracks better.”

 

Amber stared at Guppy's corpse, before shaking her head, and releasing the treasure chest. She grabbed her parasol’s handle, brandishing her sword from the hidden sheath within it and unfurling the parasol. She held the umbrella before her like a shield, sword raised, and stance wide.

 

“I didn’t think one to be foolish enough to try to steal my loot.” Amber said. The bandit growled, taking a few steps forward.

 

Amber’s eyes narrowed. “And certainly not a trio of rag-tag thieves.”


	5. The Bane

She took gentle steps through the forest, paws softly kissing the ground as she walked. Her staff was raised, chestnut-brown eyes flickering around the trees. The trees groaned and creaked in the wind, the leaves crunched beneath Sana’s paws.

 

This wasn’t right.

 

Sana swat at the air with her staff, trying to clear the thick, indigo fog. Her breaths came short and quick, desperately trying to breathe in as little of the Rot-infected air as possible. She strained her hearing, trying to listen to the Wyld’s whispers, but they were faint, and the Rot’s presence was growing ever-stronger…

 

She felt the shadow standing over her first. Sana’s eyes widened and she turned slowly as the black mist seeped out from between the trees. Refusing to abandon her Druid duties, Sana took her staff in both paws and raised it to the darkness that emerged from the darkness.

 

Two bright, violet eyes revealed themselves through the fog, staring at Sana. The bear’s grip on her staff tightened. A crooked, gnarled beak prod out from the mist, parted slightly as it exhaled, purple fog creeping from it’s maw.

 

“Wyld bare me strength.” Sana prayed beneath her breath as the Bane rose above her, stretching it’s wings and casting a looming shadow over her. As the Bane moved, the fauna at it’s talons withered, and the branches above it’s head curled and snapped.

 

Sana closed her eyes, begging the Wyld as the monster approached. The trees behind her swayed, and her staff flickered to life. She opened her eyes, gazing directly into the Bane’s empty face.

 

“Begone, Bane!” She shouted, and brandishing her staff at the Bane. The Bane recoiled for a moment as the staff’s light shone brightly around it, before it roared, declaring battle against the Druid.

 

Sana took a deep breath. May she remain pure in the wake of the Rot.


End file.
